Allegiant Air passengers, crew injured in Florida flight turbulence

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Four people were injured Wednesday when a Florida-bound Allegiant Air flight experienced severe turbulence that launched flight attendants into the air.

The Allegiant Air Flight 227, which had taken off from Asheville, North Carolina, hit powerful turbulence while on its approach to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The plane, carrying 179 passengers and six crew members, landed normally and taxied to the gate under its own power.

At the gate, medical crews were waiting to take care of those who were injured, ABC Action News reported.

Two passengers and two flight attendants were taken to the hospital for further evaluation. The extent of their injuries is unknown.

Lisa Spriggs, a passenger on the tumultuous flight, said it was “petrifying.”

“More than halfway through descending, and all of a sudden, we hit a small turbulence, and the stewardess beside us fell to the ground,” Spriggs told the outlet.

“And it was like ‘The Matrix.’ [We] watched her go up in the air and land straight down.”

Some passengers were left bloodied from the harrowing ordeal — while others even broke bones, according to one passenger.

“Yeah, some lady was in the bathroom during the time of the turbulence, and she came out and sat down behind me and she had a huge laceration on her right eyebrow, gushing out blood,” the second passenger told the outlet.

While the FAA and Allegiant say they will investigate the incident, the flight’s exhausted passengers say they’re thankful it wasn’t much worse.

“You hear about it happening, but you never think, ‘Oh, that’s the TV, it’s movies.’ But it’s terrifying,” Spriggs said.

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